Review of Ambient Findability by Peter Morville
This book is a wide-ranging rumination on many different topics, all basically related to the internet and findability: from maps to libraries to tagging to gps to artificial intelligence. I have to say, I love the term ‘findability,’ it’s a great word that exactly describes what I try to build into a web site.
I enjoyed the chapter on wayfinding the most. It’s always good to have your point of view stretched, and thinking of a website as a place that people find their way through, is a good stretch. After the wayfinding chapter, the text became more theoretical and obtuse, so don’t expect a quick, easy read.
This book won’t really teach you how to make your website more findable, but it does talk about why the internet isn’t completely categorized and tagged and how people can make their way through the loads and loads of information out there.
I know that some people are overwhelmed by the information available. I’ve never felt that way (part of the reason I make my living on the internet) but this book pointed out how people get lost and how they try and find their way and how we can help them find their ways better.
You can check out Ambient Findability (and other web design books) in the Cornercode Amazon Store.
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